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Mal.3.15

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Shall I work my felf when I may make prize of the labours of other men, and drink down merrily the fweat of others brows?

Shall I fit low and be despised in the world, when I may lay my neighbours on heaps under me, and raise up my felf upon their ruines?

Shall I undergo the charge of a family, and the care of poflerity, when rich gifts and fair words may fubdue change of beauties to my welcome defires and lufts of the flesh?

Shall I expect a flow and lingring advancement by the worth of vertue in the fervice of God, when I fee the fervants of Mammon carry all honours and preferments before them?

Shall I be humble when I fee the proud happy? fhall I live a godly life, when they that work wickedneffe are built?

Let us here obferve how thefe wicked ones do work to compaffe their ends; they labour in the very fire, the fire of hell. The Way of Peace they have not known.

2. The next point cafteth up the account of their gettings, and it is anoughts, a meer Cypher in Arithmetick; Vanity, very Vanity.

Is it riches? then is it a thing corruptible, it is a thing uncertain, and little of it is for ufe, and what profit hath the Poffef for thereof in the furplufage, but the beholding thereof with his eye?

When a man confiders his wealth gotten by oppreffion and injury, how can he but think it may be fo loft as it was gotten? Is it the favour of Princes and great men? True, they be gods upon earth, but they die like men at laft: and they change their minds often before they die.

One day Haman rides about in Pompe, he is uyas and Mordecay waiteth at the lane gate; another day Mordecay is fet upon the Kings beast, and Haman leadeth the horse, and proclaimeth him honourable, and the next day Haman is hanged, and Mordecai rules all under the King,

Is it honour that thou laboureft for? that alfo is vanity: Honour is in bonorante, as Ariftotle faith, it is very unhappy for a man to have his honour without himself, his pride within him, and his happineffe without him.

Wife Salomon that had all temporal felicitie in the fulleft meafure, and all of the gift of God, yet called all those things Vanity of Vanities!

I will fhut up this point in the words of David,

Doubtleffe man walketh in a shadow, and disquieteth himself in pf 39% 6. 3. Is it not of the Lord ?

vain.

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Many croffe betydings befall the ungodly, and they never obferve who oppofeth them. It is the Lord that bringeth all the labours of the ungodly to loffe and vanity; that when they come to thrash their crop of travel in the world, they find nothing but ftrawe and chaffe.

To expreffe his power to do this,he is here called the God of Hofts; forall things ferve him, and he refifteth the proud, he and his Hofts.

He layeth their honours in the duft, he difperfeth their riches, and giveth them to the poor: he fpoiled them of all their treasures, he that exalted them made them low, he that gave to them taketh away.

They had need be made to fee this, therefore he faith, Nonne ecce à Domino hoc, is it not of the Lord?

In the time of the Perfecutions under the bloody Emperours, if at any time they fucceeded not in their wars, they cried, Chriftiani ad furcas, ad leones, Chriftians to the gallows,to the lyons; they faw not the hand of God against them;this makes Balaam fmite his Affe; he feeth not Gods Angel.

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In the proceffe of humane affairs, they that go on in thefe fins, which God himself threatneth with woe, thongh they find thefe fins profitable, and to afford them large revenews, that they live plentifully upon the wages of unrighteoufnefle, yet have they many croffes in their ways, many great loffes they fu ftain; these they impute to fecond caufes, and lay great blame upon those whom they do oppreffe, because they stand not to it whilft oppreffion grindeth them; they obferve not the hand of God against them, yet faith God, Is it not of the Lord of Hoft's that they weary themselves for very vanity?

It is a great matter to know who it is that protecteth his fervants, that croffeth the defignes of their enemies.

David prayeth for Gods faving help to them, and That they Pl.109 27 may know that this is thy hand, that thou Lord hast done it. For let all offenders in this kind of oppreffion, and indeed in all kinds of bold and prefumptuous fins, know,that they fin with an high hand. They are a People that provoke God to nually to his face.

Ifa. 65.3.

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If you obferve the text well, you will find two things in it; and they are two great judgments, and both of the Lord.

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1. Is it not of the Lord of Hoftes that the People Shall labour in the very fire, and shall weary themselves?

2. Is it not of the Lord of Hofts, that the People shall labour for very vanity?

For the hand of God is in both for their punishment, both in putting them to extreme labour, and in turning all their la bour into vanity.

He asketh the queftion, as if he should fay Come now and let us reafon together, to what do you impute it, that this People take Such pains and profper fo ill? do you not perceive that Gods hand is in it, and that I the Lord do undo all that they do?

1. It is of the Lord that they labour in the fire.

For God faith, Ego creo malum; labour and travel is the curfe of man, the wages offin: In labore vefceris, in fudore vultu: Here is fire that meltech and diffolveth us into water.

All the pains that is taken here on earth to do evil, is of the Lord.

1. In respect of the ftrength and wit ufed therein; for in him We live and move; he planted the eare, &c.

2. In refpect of his permiffion; for he hath chains to bind up Satan and his inftruments, and he can carry foares when he will to catch finners, This is not approbation but toleration for a time.

3. It is of the Lord in refpect of his will; for he fcourgeth a man with his own fins in just judgement, and letteth the wicked wear out themselves with extreme labours for their pu nishment. Whereas if he have a favour to any he cals upon them; PL117.2. It is vain for you to rise up early, to fit up late, to eat the bread of forrows; for he giveth his beloved fleep.

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And our Saviour faith, Nolite follicitieffe, Be ye not careful.

But the Egyptians shall gather fewels of filver, and Jewels of Ex.14.25 gold together it is of the Lord; and they shall pursue Ifrael into the Jea, and to make them work he took off their charet wheels that they drave them heavily.

2. It is of the Lord that all their labour is loft..

For the fewels of Gold and Jewels of filver which the Egyptians have gathered, the Ifraelites fhall carry away. And they and their chariots which they have driven long, shall all be covered with the fea

The Prophet putteth them together.

Thou shalt fow, but thou shalt not reap: thou shalt tread the O- Mic.6.15. lives, but shalt not annoint thee with the ayle; and sweet wine, but thou shalt not drink wine.

For God profeffeth it, I will walk contrary unto you, and punish Lev.26 24 you feven times for your fins.

It is a great wifedome in our labour to confider whither God

be with us, and walk with us, or walk contrary to us. For if welfa. 57. ze fear God, and walk in his ways, we are faid to walk with God. But if we do that which is evil in his fight, and cover an evil covetouineffe to build our nefts,and to gather riches by unlawful = means, fuch as God in his word hath forbidden, we hall fee and find that God will walk contrary to us.

The proud man fhall find that when he is at the higheft, God can caft him down: The extortioner fhall find that no bonds nor ftatutes will hold his debtors, they will fay we will break these bonds, and caft away thefe cords from us.

The wanton fhall find that the fins of his youth fhall ake in the bones of his age; and they that fow in wickedneffe fhall reap in fhame.

There be many that meet with grievous inconveniencies in their life manifold croffes in their health, in their friends, in their children, in the affairs of life, efpecially fuch as concern their eftate, and they do not obferve two things moft of all to be heeded.

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1. That God walketh contrary to them and croffeth them.
2. The caule why God doth fo.

Here it is plain, that these croffes are of the Lord, and the

Lord

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Lord himself revealeth the caufe, and giveth account of his judg ments, for pride and covetoufneffe, &c. Obferve how the Prince of dark nefe hath blinded our eyes.

1.Suggeft. 1. The fins that bring in profit and make the pot feeth, though Mofes and hisProphets,Chrift and his Apoftles do tell them that they are fins, and fuch as lead the offenders to hell, they will not believe them all against their profit,but cry as the Ephefians did for Diana. Great is Mammon; this is called The deceitfulnesse Mat.13.22 of Riches.

O Who hath bewitched the heart of man, that he should value his foul for which Chrift died, at fo low a rate, that be will fell it for corruptible things?

So St. Peter cals gold and filver;

Forafmuch as yee know that you were not redeemed with corrup 1Pet.1.18.tible things as gold and filver.

2.Suggeft. 2. These fins be thought little fins where they be confest, because they make a man able to make God fome part of amends in almes and good works; fo the oppreffour of his brethren turneth his oppreffions into facrifices, as if oppreffions of injury could be facrifices of righteoufneffe.

Luc.11.41

This fuggeftion feemeth fupported by the words of Christ, Give almes of fuch things as you have, and behold all things are clean to you.

So that he which hath congefted wealth by oppreffion, shall purifie all his goods by giving almes of part thereof.

They mistake our Saviour there; obferve him well, he found the Pharifees faulty in this finne here threatned with judgment: for their outfide was a fair Profeffion of Religion, their infide was full of rapine and wickedneffe..

1. Our Saviour oppofeth almes against rapine: rapine corrup teth all the goods that we poffeffe, even the fruits of our ho neft labours in our callings, the fruits of our inheritance from our Parents; goods unlawfully gotten from our brethren, against the law and word of God,do make all unclean, they defile all, and bring a ruft and canker upon our treafure; but charity by diftribution of almes doth purifie and keep clean all our wealth.

2. This charity muft have matter to work upon, and that is Tvárta, that is, fuch things as are in our power; we may give no

almes

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